Kirishima is the most famous baseball player in Japan. However, an unfortunate injury forces him to retire. His family abandons him, and all that's left is a vacant coaching position at a local baseball team for young boys. This club is on the verge of being disbanded—so far, they have never won a single game. Will Kirishima be able to help the club?

Through the television screen, popular baseball player Kirishima tells the kids, "dreams come true." His baseball techniques are so fantastic that he is called the "miracle man." But in reality, Kirishima is an arrogant and selfish flirt who spends money like there's no tomorrow.

Mizuki is a girl who wants to become a lawyer. Her brother plays on Kirishima's team, but can't stand the sight of Kirishima. She hates men who fool around, and especially those who deceive children. Will Mizuki and Kirishima be able to come to a mutual understanding?

!!WARNING!!The review section may contain spoilers! Please understandthat you may find out about this drama's endings and plots!

1.

Downfall of a Baseballplayer [Rating: 10/10]Baseball star Akira Kurishima seems to have it all - a 300-million Yen contract with the Pirates, a large appartment in a fancy skyscarper, wife and son, and the reputation to be the "man who creates miracles"...

However, Akira Kurishima doesn't live up to his image. He's an arrogant person who thinks mainly of himself. None of his team mates like him, he doesn't care if his team wins or loses as long a she can make a home run, his fan mail ends up unread in the garbage, he throws out money faster than he can earn it, and on top of it he cheats on his wife and he badly neglects his son.

On the other side, there's the boy Sho, who loves Baseball and is a huge fan of Kirishima. He and his older sister, teacher Mizuki, live with their aunt and uncle in Momonoki, a run-down shopping district somewhere in the outskirts of Tokyo.
Sho's playing for a mini-league team called "Momonoki Jaguars". They never won a single game, but play with enthusiasm. When their trainer dies of old age, Sho writes several letters to Kirishima to become their trainer...

Meanwhile, Kirishima gets caught in the act by his wife when he cheats on her at his son's birthday. She angrily chases him through the hotel room. By accident, Kirishima steps on a piece of soap and falls down hard, injuring his shoulder so badly that he's told to give up playing baseball. But that's not the end of it - his wife divorces him, his son refuses to ever see him again, and on top of it Kirishima's contract with the Pirates doesn't get renewed. Due to his selfish behaviour in the past and his reputation as a troublemaker, no other team will hire him, either.
Worse comes to worse when Kirishima learns that his ex-wife got all his financial assets and debt collectors from a club in Roppongi beat him up.

In this dire situation, Kirishima receives the letter by Mizuki, offering him 500.000 Yen to train the Jaguars. He takes the money to pay off his debts, rudely telling Mizuki that the money was his fee for just showing up. But when he learns that his appartment got sold, he accepts the position of a trainer. Still, Kirishima hasn't hit rock bottom yet...

Opinion: This drama is marked by an exellent performance of Takashi Sorimachi and the rest of the cast members. The characters are believable and the plot is aided by a lot of subtle details in the settings and the body language.
Especially the interaction between Kirishima and his manager are worth watching; the scenes are well played by Sorimachi and Yajima.
Wonderful Life keeps a good balance between humor and drama. It focusses on how circumstances chan change people, and that sometimes life is unfair and just sucks... but that it doesn't mean we can just give up.

Better than Expected [Rating: 8/10]This is a typical dream come true type of drama. Kinishima, the main character, sets out on a journey towards discovery, whch leads to inner change, and he becomes a new self and changes the lives of the people around him in one way or another. It's fun and entertaining to watch, and I like the way the writers took this simple and fun concept and made the entire drama that way. There were issues and obstacles to conquer, but they never got tied down to it or let things drag. Kinishima is the typical male lead, with the girl liking him but he never lets it get to him or maybe he never noticed it, until the end, that is.
I think everyone did a great job here. I can see why viewers would make comparisons of previous dramas they've seen with these actors. But these are actors portraying these roles, and most of the time they're different roles, so it's unfair to compare them to past dramas. It's a totally different case, different directing, different settings, storylines, everything. Sometimes a role is a hit, sometimes it's a miss. Either way, it's the story and the roles that they play and weather they can play that role well or not that is important.
I admit however, there were times where I felt like Kinishima was Onizuka in GTO, although I am not sure if that was intentional or not!
Also, the drama got better and better towards the end, which made this drama better than expected.

Great Kirishima [Rating: 10/10]I like drama that hero will not dominant everything. In this drama the lead actor have bad attitude but he change because of people around him, because he have no choice and he learn that famous without people respect is nothing and need to be a good team member to others. In real life the hero not necessary an angel...they might have a bad and good site of them. Love is not the main plot for this drama so if you kind a romantic viewer this is not suitable for you. I like the way leading actress fall in love with the lead actor...she like the brand new of Kirishima and she believe he can change his bad attitude...and she trust him. I wonder why Kirishima character did not try to see his son...such a waste...hope this drama will have 2nd session which stress more on his relationship with his son through his career. The other actors also give good peformance especially the childrens..they can act..not bad....I recomended if you like the motivational kind of drama...worth it to watch.

Cute, Funny, and Lifts the Spirit... [Rating: 9/10]I liked it because it showed a little team (Jaguars) earn help from a hero and became the best team in their city....I wish I knew the names of the actors who played elementary school baseball team, they're so ADORABLE!!! Sorimachi Takashi, was a good actor to play this role, seeing as he plays a stuck up baseball player well....

I LOVED Hirai Ken's theme to this dorama, it also would add the sorrow for the certain sad parts within the movie, as they're being played or re-shown in the ending credits....

Pretty Good [Rating: 9/10]A great baseball star suffers an enjury and can't play professionaly, a little boy writes to him to come coach their elementary baseball team, and his sister helps to make hetr little brother dream come true.

Great baseball dorama. Sorimachi overdoes it as usual at times, but Haegawa kyoko makes up for that. I find that you don't have to be really into baseball to be into this dorama. Its funny and endearing and a recommended watch.

"Takashi Sorimachi/Akira Kirishima" [Rating: 10/10]Starting Takashi Sorimachi again. this time he's a baseball player, the best baseball player in Japan. but some events turn that around. now he must deal the life without the fame. once again Sorimachi delivers a great performance in this drama and also Kyoko Hasegawa. nice chemistry between these two. im not into baseball but in this drama i appreciate it a little. Samuel Samaniego of Quezon City, Philippines.

Love it [Rating: 8/10]I think this is the kind of dorama where you either love it or hate it. I love it cos I'm a Sorimachi fan and I think he did well in this dorama and it's refreshing to see him act as a selfish and inconsiderate father/husband.

The little children in this dorama are very adorable too. Watch it if you're a Sorimachi fan.

Nice! [Rating: 8/10]Finished watching "Wonderful Life", it wasn't great nor anything new, but who cares, I liked it...Sorimachi was the same old self , Hasegawa was ages better (both in looks and in acting) than in "Boss 2", and among the supporting cast I will particularly mention Yashima Norito, imho he was great.

Enjoyable. [Rating: 10/10]For someone that doesn't like baseball, I enjoyed the whole series. Nothing much left to say as most of the reviews gave this drama high ratings. It was funny, inspiring, and heartwarming.

A Home RUn!! [Rating: 9/10]Really enjoyed in this delightful story. Personal growth and a reevaluation of life's priorities go hand in hand with PeeWee baseball and the major leagues. Sorimachi is very well cast as an obnoxious star who needs a reality check.

great one from sorimachi [Rating: 8/10]this is the kind of drama i knew my whole family would enjoy.
it's just a light drama with few touching moments. sorimachi sure know how to act in this drama. watching him in this drama reminds me of him in 'overtime'.

awwww [Rating: 8/10]the little kids in this drama were just SOOO adorable! But that aside...I found this drama interesting. Sorimachi is one of my favorite actors and I was happy to watch him play in this...I loved the ending theme song.

great inspiring show... the best i've seen! [Rating: 10/10]Wonderful performances from Kyoko Hasegawa and Takeshi Sorimachi! Not to forget abt the young actors in the Jaguar Baseball team.. especially shou! Definitely a worthwhile watch!

!!WARNING!!This section may contain spoilers! Do not proceed if youdo not want to read about this drama's endings and plots!

1.

Comments bySorata [Rating: 8/10]Another great Sorimachi dorama, the plot is very predictible but at the same time very enjoyable, specially the later half of the dorama, the Shynia story was really good even with the cliche ending.
Hasegawa Kyoko was really really cute in here, her facial expression when Kirishima tell´s her that he´s going back to the Pirates is priceless, it could melt any heart(except the heart of the dull and slow Kirishima lol), even with her hair destroyed after bath she´s still dead gorgeous.
Another great dorama for those who like heart warming stories about hard work and friendship.

I *love* Sorimachi Takashi!!!!!!! maybe he is very sporty in this drama, it just remind me so much of beach boy. that's 10 years ago now and he is still sooooo kakkoi. His son/daughter was born during the airing/shooting of that drama

i like his character and all the supporting actors in this drama. I do perfer to see a better looking lead actress though.. oh well... the overall story was very heart warming. Just a feel good drama with super good looking sorimachi takashi

3.

Comments bykanshu [Rating: 10/10]I like Sorimachi's performance in this. His character starts out being a completly arrogant bastard, and to see him being crushed (due to his own actions) in the first three episodes is something to see. This show also puts thought into the details - like, how Sorimachi's character never joins the table when the shop owners discuss, but still ends up being involved in the decision. Of course, the show has its weak spots, but it's one of my favorite Sorimachi shows so far.

4.

Comments bypandora [Rating: 9/10]I'm still watching this depending on the ending and how the romance progresses I might give this a 10, its that good. I love Hasegawa Kyoko in this, she is one of the few dorama leads that actually has notable curves and I am suprised that she is not found to be too curvey for Jdorama!

One thing though...correction to teh synopsis the little brother does not hate kirishima, but actually writes to him and begs him to come coach his elemtary bae ball team

5.

Comments bynishishi [Rating: 7/10]Overall a nice dorama.... A nice (altough simple) story... Good actors (not talking 'bout the kids... OMG.. the "main-kid" actor made me want to puke!!!! Almost all the serie he just put the same "cant fell nothing" face!!!
This dorama main problem (IMO) its the fact that.. damn... its so slow!!! U could skip some episodes and u wouldnt be missing a thing... (Damn... that "hit the ball" episode is sooooo boring..!!!)

6.

Comments by [Rating: 10/10]This is a adorable series that is about baseball and the actor that does it is Sorimachi san from GTO. I'm not even interested in Baseball, but this made me love baseball in a whole different way. This is a heart-warming series that made some people in the drama develop from a heartless person to a heartful, kind person. This really made me laugh even some parts were emotional.

7.

Comments bymornin_view [Rating: 9/10]dreams come true! again, Sorimachi did a great job. Kirishima a famous but arrogant and disrespectful baseball player... he was fired when he injured his shoulder in a freak accident. when he accepted an invitation from mizuki to coach a youth team jaguar, he began to change his attitude and behaviour... i was touched by this... Kirishima the ' miracle man'

8.

Comments byphoenix_angkasa [Rating: 9/10]dreams come true! again, Sorimachi did a great job. Kirishima a famous but arrogant and disrespectful baseball player... he was fired when he injured his shoulder in a freak accident. when he accepted an invitation from mizuki to coach a youth team jaguar, he began to change his attitude and behaviour... i was touched by this... Kirishima the ' miracle man'

9.

Comments byKirari Ililah [Rating: 9/10]Sorimachi Takashi is a great person to play the role of a shot down baseball player...He seems very good with kids, like when he played as a father in HOTMAN....The last episode was pertty amusing too, but I thought it didn't FULLY complete the series, it looks like more would hapen with that wacky character and the baseball team he brought hope to...

I am still looking forward to completely finishing this one.
I've seen it from halfway in the middle until the end so I couldn't get a grasp of the story from the beginning.

Hirai Ken's song is the ED theme for this. It's cute and I love it. Not to mention Hirai Ken, too!

11.

Comments byPatazilla [Rating: 9/10]I can't really find any flaws about this dorama. I enjoyed every second and every episode. It's really catchy... Sorimachi Taksdhi and the kids certainly did well and so did Hasegawa Kyoko. If you search some light amusement which still has a nicely worked out story and humour, this is really recommendable. It has a lot of "heart". <3

12.

Comments byDragonSpirit164 [Rating: 9/10]Very very enjoyable drama!~ Sorimachi excels again as the unorthodox but kind at heart type of guy. He portrayed Kirishima's proud but insecure character really well. Hasegawa Kyoko was convincing as well, as the aspiring lawyer who hates guys like Kirishima, but begins to see kinder side and eventually falls for him. Recommended!~

13.

Comments byxiong_here [Rating: 9/10]Sorimachi and KYOKO HASEGAWA, GOHD, my two favorite J-Actors! I thought I'd see an over-raunchy spit out of GTO again, but he does a fairly good job being the coach...although I do feel the plot sort of regurgitating some GTO themes into the show...not that GTO was a bad thing. I LOVED GTO!!

14.

Comments byoldasianguy [Rating: 9/10]Predictable show...but was OK!!...Bad News Jaguars win championship game...can't lose with that situation...Good feeling type of show..
The only complaint I have about show is that at the championship game they must of only had 100 people in the stands....

15.

Comments bysnow_san [Rating: 4/10]The whole cast including Sorimachi seem more like side characters. There's no real development within any one. The reviews/comments fooled me on this one. It's light viewing, nothing more. 7th & 8th episode were touching. Final episode was alright.

16.

Comments bydokaben [Rating: 9/10]Pretty standard feel-good, redemption drama that stands out simply because it's incredibly well done. The cast is great. I loved how understated and subtle the relationship between Mizuki and Kirishima was portrayed at the end. Great writing.

17.

Comments bySunnyDoll [Rating: 9/10]This is a really touching drama and its better then I expected! I mean how interesting can it be with baseball and children?! However, I was hooked onto it and finished all 8 disc in 3 days. Hahaha.... recommended to watch this!

18.

Comments byZi Yan Kosaka [Rating: 9/10]Good story....it's about passion...it's about ambitious....hmm...what can I say...it's a wonderful story....plus..this drama got the most kawaii japanese actress that I've ever seen...,Kyoko Hasegawa!!!!!!...soooooo cute!!!!

19.

Comments byheimu [Rating: 9/10]Kyoko looked so good here, so sweet, so understand, my dream kind of girl. *keke* Overall, I felt it's quite cool to watch, I would love for a more sweeter ending. Looking forward for Part II :) If there's one planned!

20.

Comments bytkarmina28 [Rating: 8/10]Didn't quite finish this drama, but so far, I find it adorable. I can't really say much..but i thought that little boy was so cute. He and his sister and their aunt and uncle really did a number on the baseball guy.

21.

Comments byiez [Rating: 9/10]loves the story....hope i could find out the name of those kids who played as the baseball team,they've done a great job.....and i think Yajima Norito is so funny in this dorama.....i kind of like him....:)

22.

Comments byJackykero [Rating: 7/10]Nice watch. Sorimachi is his usual self while Hasegawa does a nice job portraying her character. A good mix of comedy, romance, family-style dorama with overall good acting and sensible plot.

Comments byjekert [Rating: 6/10]it took a long time for me to finish this one. the pace is a little boring. you just have to have patience to be able to enjoy watching it. not that bad though. just so so.

25.

Comments bysasukekun6 [Rating: 9/10]Kirishima-saaaannn~~~ I really enjoyed this drama, some of Sorimachi's best work in my opinion. It's a very fun, sweet drama. If you love baseball this is a must watch!

26.

Comments byZie75 [Rating: 10/10]I like Kirishima character as a cool person. He and Kyoko have a chemistry together and I hope there will continue this drama with more plot about Kirishima and his son.

27.

Comments byLynn9 [Rating: 8/10]a very light drama that surely will catch people's heart. An inspiration for people out there how an irresponsible man can be transformed into a better man with heart.

Comments byShachihoko [Rating: 8/10]This is such a heart warming drama that will help you to pursue your dream and following your heart's direction to overcome something that can be done on working hard.

30.

Comments bywilliu [Rating: 9/10]A warm-hearted, fun drama. Not much depth, but enough to keep one interested from the first episode til the last. And of course, Sorimachi's acting is top notch.

kanshuI like Sorimachi's performance in this. His character starts out being a completly arrogant bastard, and to see him being crushed (due to his own actions) in the first three episodes is something to see. This show also puts thought into the details - like, how Sorimachi's character never joins the table when the shop owners discuss, but still ends up being involved in the decision. Of course, the show has its weak spots, but it's one of my favorite Sorimachi shows so far.

2.

favugGreat "hero / miracle man" jdrama.
Although I know nothing of baseball I've enjoyed the show.
Good acting on both Sorimachi Takashi and Jaguar kids.
The story was well balanced and built up to a good ending.

3.

Zie75I like the story line and Sorimachi is always the best to play as a hero with some bad attitude...he also kakkoi ne in this drama....

4.

Lynn9good drama..especially when Karishima transforming himself to be a better man (a man with heart). 8/10

5.

chibi akirait was an OK drama..I prefer sorimachi as a teacher than a baseball player,but! he still look CuTe^,^

6.

tInoltinYayy!! Another Great drama of Sorimachi... this drama is just like the title.. "WONDERFUL"

7.

atreyu112Very nice sort of show from takeshi. and he look damn good in the movie. Soooo manly!